In the case of a scanning microscope, an illumination light beam is focused on a region of a sample to be examined, for example via a plurality of mirrors and with the aid of a focusing optical system. The detection light emanating from the region to be examined is detected by means of a detector. Actuator elements are used to tilt mirrors in an oscillatory manner, bringing about a deflection of the illumination light beam, and so a sample can be scanned by means of the illumination light beam. Here, the illumination light beam is deflected such that the focus of the illumination light beam is successively directed at adjacent regions to be examined. The image data captured in the process are stored and combined by means of an image generation unit in order to form an overall image of the entire examined region.
DE 102 09 322 A1 has disclosed a device for deflecting a light beam in a scanning microscope. The device has a unit which is rotatable about a first axis and contains two reflection surfaces that are stationary with respect to one another. The first rotatable unit receives a light beam and routes it to a third reflection surface that is rotatable about a second axis, which runs perpendicular to the first rotational axis. The device comprises at least three mirrors and at least three rotating actuator elements, one of which oscillates about its rest position.
DE 196 54 210 C2 has disclosed an optical arrangement for scanning a sample along two axes that lie substantially perpendicular to one another. The optical arrangement comprises three mirrors, two of which are connected to a first oscillating rotating actuator element and one of which is connected to a second oscillating rotating actuator element.
Thus, the known scanning devices have more than two mirrors and at least two actuator elements. As a result of the plurality of mirrors, the scanning devices are not very compact and expensive to produce because the mirrors have to be matched, i.e. adjusted, to one another. Furthermore, when the mirrors are tilted, the plurality of mirrors results in a beam offset with respect to a reference beam path in the rest position of the mirrors.